The Library of Congress generally does not own rights to material in
its collections and, therefore, cannot grant or deny permission to
publish or otherwise distribute the material. For further rights
information, see "Rights Information" below and the Rights and
Restrictions Information page
(
http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/res/rights.html
).

P&P reading room staff can provide up to 15 quick
copies of items per calendar year (but many original
items are too old or fragile to make such copies). For
assistance, see our Ask a Librarian page. OR

Please use the following steps to determine whether you need to
fill out a call slip in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room
to view the original item(s). In some cases, a surrogate
(substitute image) is available, often in the form of a digital
image, a copy print, or microfilm.

Is the item digitized? (A thumbnail (small) image will
be visible on the left.)

Yes, the item is digitized.
Please use the digital image in preference to requesting
the original. All images can be viewed at a large size
when you are in any reading room at the Library of Congress.
In some cases, only thumbnail (small) images are available
when you are outside the Library of Congress because the
item is rights restricted or has not been evaluated for
rights restrictions.

As a preservation measure, we generally do not serve an
original item when a digital image is available. If you
have a compelling reason to see the original, consult with
a reference librarian. (Sometimes, the original is simply
too fragile to serve. For example, glass and film photographic
negatives are particularly subject to damage. They are also
easier to see online where they are presented as positive
images.)

If you do not see a thumbnail image or a reference to another
surrogate, please fill out a call slip in the Prints and Photographs
Reading Room. In many cases, the originals can be served in a
few minutes. Other materials require appointments for later the
same day or in the future. Reference staff can advise you in
both how to fill out a call slip and when the item can be served.

To contact Reference staff in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room,
please use our Ask A Librarian service or
call the reading room between 8:30 and 5:00 at 202-707-6394, and Press 3.